James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams to Headline 2023 Morristown Festival of Books



(MORRISTOWN, NJ) — Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams headline the 2023 Morristown Festival of Books as its 10th Anniversary Keynote Speakers on Friday, October 6, at the Mayo Performing Arts Center, in conversation with Brian Stelter, former CNN correspondent. Stewart and Abrams will discuss their jaw-dropping New York Times bestseller, Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy, hailed as the true-life Succession story of our time.

The Morristown Festival of Books, New Jersey’s premier book festival, offers something for everyone. The all-day, free Main Festival on Saturday, October 7, features more than 100 bestselling, critically acclaimed, and award-winning fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children’s authors who will be speaking to audiences and signing their books.

Fiction aficionados will hear numerous acclaimed novelists, including mystery and thriller writers Megan Abbott (Beware the Woman), Liv Constantine (The Senator’s Wife), and William Landay (All That is Mine I Carry with Me); award-winning journalists Mary Calvi (If a Poem Could Live and Breathe) and Jake Tapper (All the Demons are Here); historical fiction writers Fiona Davis (The Spectacular) and Pam Jenoff (Code Name Sapphire); debut novelists Yomi Adegoke (The List) and Laura Spence-Ash (Beyond That, the Sea); and acclaimed authors Adrienne Brodeur (Little Monsters), Andre Dubus III (Such Kindness), Mary Beth Keane (The Half Moon) and  Helen Schulman (Lucky Dogs).

In the non-fiction category, festivalgoers will hear from a diverse array of authors, including historians Stacy Schiff (The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams) and Ilyon Woo (Master Slave Husband Wife); acclaimed sports writer and film/television producer Jeff Benedict (LeBron); former Wall Street investment banker and author William D. Cohan (Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon); wellness writer and sought-after speaker Cyndie Spiegel (Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay); and beloved Great British Baking Show contestant and debut cookbook author Jürgen Krauss (The German Baking Book).

Young readers will enjoy the ever-popular KidFest featuring more than 50 outstanding children’s authors and illustrators who will be present from 11:00am to 4:00pm on Saturday (rain or shine) to meet visitors while selling and personally signing books. Some authors you can look forward to include: Peter Lerangis (Throwback), Wendy Mass (Lo & Behold), and Dan Gutman (My Weird School chapter book series), who has written more than 175 books and will be promoting his latest title. KidFest truly has something for every young reader – favorite picture books, chapter books, middle grade offerings, and more!

The authors will speak and answer questions at several locales, all within walking distance of each other along South Street in historic Morristown, including St. Peter’s Church Sanctuary and Parish House, The Church of the Redeemer, and the Morristown/Morris Township Library. Book sales and signings will occur at a tent on the grounds of the historic Vail Mansion. To see the complete author roster, visit morristownbooks.org.

Their Keynote event is generously co-sponsored by the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and Delta Dental. JP Morgan Chase & Co. is our Special Event sponsor and KidFest is generously sponsored by Atlantic Health System’s Goryeb Children’s Hospital. Proceeds from their annual fundraising Keynote Event and book sales throughout the Festival contribute to supporting literacy and education in our community, this year through a partnership with Literacy Volunteers of Morris County and the Morris Educational Foundation. This revenue, along with the generosity of their sponsors, helps keep their Saturday book festival free and open to all. 

Morristown Festival of Books is a fund of the Community Foundation of New Jersey, a non-profit corporation.